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Bulgarian Mobile Number Portability Dispute Rages On

Business | August 30, 2007, Thursday

Bulgaria: Bulgarian Mobile Number Portability Dispute Rages On
Bulgarian customers are currently deprived of their right to keep their phone numbers when they dump a mobile network for another. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria's smaller two cellphone operators, Globul and Vivatel, accused the country's dominant mobile telecom M-Tel of attempting to intentionally delay the introduction of number portability in the country.

According to Bulgaria's electronic communications law, which went into force in January, customers leaving a mobile network should have had the option to keep their numbers in their new operator.

But the service has not been implemented yet, with Austria Telekom-owned M-Tel arguing the law did not properly address privacy concerns and contained too many loopholes that could be easily abused.

Globul and Vivatel hit back on Thursday, saying that the dominant operator's plan to develop new rules was meant to further delay the introduction of the service.

Cosmote-owned Globul and Vivatel, the mobile arm of dominant fixed-line telecom BTC, claim their existing proposal is problem-free for users and has been approved by the industry regulator.

Bulgaria's telecoms watchdog CRC said last week the three operators had until September 20 to agree on a plan for number portability.

The operators have rowed for months on the issue, with M-Tel demanding that the network receiving the new number should pay the other operator a fee for the transference.

Globul and Vivatel insist that the service should be free of charge.

At the end of last year, M-Tel had a market share of just over 50%, in terms of subscribers, compared to 40% by Globul and 10% by Vivatel.

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Author: Mat, 30 Aug 2007 18:19:34
Bulgarian Mobile Number Portability Dispute Rages On
I bet that's costing Mtel a hefty bribe every month

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What is the most important conclusion from the Sofia Mayor elections on November 15, 2009?
That the ruling party GERB of PM Borisov continues to be hugely popular, whereas the Socialists are pretty much out.

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That the Sofia residents are either completely disillusioned with politics, or care little about who is Mayor.

That the record-high jackpot of the Bulgarian State Lottery "Toto" generated much greater interest than the Mayor elections.

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